Indianapolis, Indiana — On Saturday IMPD held its eighth semi-annual “Women Behind the Badge” workshop for women who are interested in a career in law enforcement.
According to The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, a weekend workshop will help inspire more women to join the force.
The day-long workshop at the IMPD Training Academy on Post Road was attended by more than two dozen women. They learned about the IMPD hiring process, the benefits and challenges for female officers, and took part in physical fitness challenges. “We have a very diverse group of ladies here, which, again, represents who we are as a community. And, not only as a community, but this is how we want our agency to be,” IMPD Commander Ida Williams said. “We want to be reflective of the community that we serve.”
The workshop is part of a broader IMPD effort to recruit women officers.
According to the department, it wants it to recruit classes to be 30% women by 2030.
According to the 30×30 Initiative, right now, women make up only 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership in the U.S..
All prospective IMPD officers who won’t prepare for the department’s physical fitness tests are invited to attend the weekly Pre-Academy Readiness program.
It takes place every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the IMPD Training Academy.
